CAPTIVATING COMPER CAPTIVATING Brian Hope andCOMPER Jez Cooke relate the story of the Comper Swift and Phillip Cozens’ labour of love building his simply stunning replica, G-ECTF Pictures by Damien Dyer and Nigel Hitchman 30 LIGHT AVIATION | DECEMBER 2015 CAPTIVATING COMPER (Photo Nigel Hitchman) sn’t history fascinating? As aviation a path beaten by small manufacturers and There are three aspects to this story. Firstly enthusiasts we now have well over daring pilots who trail-blazed across the there is the life and career of enigmatic 100 years of powered flying behind globe in light aeroplanes, the like of which Nicholas Comper, a complex, somewhat us, and during that time we have gone today’s pilots can still relate to. They are dogmatic individual intent on ploughing his from a 120ft barely controllable hop to rightly described as the ‘Golden Years’ of own furrow. Then there is the aeroplane itself, I aviation, and the subject of this month’s air a delightful and eminently capable shoulder hauling hundreds of people in aluminium (or composite!) tubes thousands of miles test rests bang in the centre of that period. wing monoplane, of which Jez Cooke shall across continents in a matter of hours. It has The Comper Swift is a diminutive single- describe the flying qualities that elevated it sometimes been a rocky road, particularly seater, designed in 1929 by a former RAF above its contemporaries. Finally, there is in the first few decades, but our aviation officer, Nicholas Comper, and put into Phillip Cozens, whose single-minded and heritage is a fascinating archive of man’s production as a sporting, privately-owned focussed approach saw a superb recreation achievements in conquering the challenges aeroplane. Only around 45 examples were of this 85 year old design take to UK skies in that safe and reliable flight has presented. produced before the company became early October, after a 15 year odyssey. Our sport and recreational sector of insolvent and ultimately closed, yet unlike so aviation has played a vital role in that many similar stories, mostly long forgotten, NICHOLAS COMPER success story, indeed it was ‘our’ sort the Comper Swift is remembered and Nicholas Comper was born in London in of aeroplanes that led the way in those revered by all those with a penchant for 1897, one of the six children of Sir Ninian formative years up to WWII. The interwar classic aeroplanes. Indeed, there are those, Comper, a church architect. Educated years, that 20 year span from 1918 till 1938, such as LAA member Phillip Cozens, who at Dulwich College, he went on to study saw the development of the aeroplane as have spent a significant part of their lives aeronautics then work as a draughtsman with a meaningful and useful machine, capable recreating an aeroplane that could so easily, Airco, the Aircraft Manufacturing Company of global travel not just for the adventurous like so many others, have been lost in the Limited, at a time when Geoffrey pioneer, but for the man in the street. It was mists of time. de Havilland was its chief designer. › DECEMBER 2015 | LIGHT AVIATION 31 CAPTIVATING COMPER Airco went on to produce thousands of aircraft The club used its financial windfall to build for Douglas Pobjoy to get into full production for British forces, including DH 6 trainers, and Comper’s CLA.3, a parasol wing single-seater, with his 67hp seven-cylinder type P radial in DH 4 and DH 9 bombers, until their demise as again powered by a Bristol Cherub. It flew the factory he had established on the same a result of the glut of ex-military aircraft post the in July 1925 and Comper won a single-seat site, the first seven production aircraft were armistice. They became part of the Daimler/ race at a Royal Aero Cub event at Lympne in built in 1930 with the 50hp AD.9 Salmson nine- BSA group and went into liquidation in 1920. August. At the same meeting it set a speed of cylinder radial. Following trials with the Pobjoy Meanwhile, Comper had been released by the 86.9mph (139.89kmh) over 3km and 84.25mph P, all but three of the remaining Swifts built company in 1916 and joined the Royal Flying (135.5 mh) over 50km, not bad on just 36hp. were powered by the 75hp Pobjoy R, those Corps, learning to fly at Castle Bromwich and The aircraft was scrapped in 1929. final three using the DH Gipsy Major. joining No. 9 Squadron as a second lieutenant Comper returned to the two-seat Sesquiplane The Swift is a small machine, being just 17ft special reserve at Morlancourt in France, flying theme for the CLA.4, although it was unusual 8½in long with a span of 24ft and standing reconnaissance missions in BE2cs. in that the smaller wing was at the top. Two just 5ft 3½in high. It is of wood and fabric Comper remained in the RFC after the war examples were built to compete in the 1926 construction but at a time when glued wooden as it transitioned into the Royal Air Force, Lympne Trials, one with a 36hp Bristol Cherub structures were the norm, Comper relied and in 1920 went to Cambridge University to and one with a prototype 65hp Pobjoy, heavily on metal brackets to hold much of the continue his studies, reading aerodynamics. although the Pobjoy-engined machine had structure together. “It’s almost as if he didn’t Following a spell with the RAE (Royal Aircraft to withdraw due to engine problems. The two trust glue,” observed Phillip Cozens, adding, Establishment), he was posted to the RAF aircraft never achieved any notable success “There are an incredible number of individual Cranwell Academy as an engineering and were ultimately destroyed. Interestingly metal brackets in the aircraft!” That said, the instructor. though, a third aircraft was built in Canada after aircraft weighs in at a not unreasonable 540lb It was while at Cranwell that Comper plans were sold to the Alberta Aero Club. This (245kg) and its spritely performance found developed his aircraft design skills. Staff and machine is reported to have flown initially with favour with a number of long distance racers students formed the Cranwell Light Aeroplane a 35hp three-cylinder radial Blackburn Thrush of the period, Alex Henshaw being one such Club to design a series of light aircraft that engine and later a 55hp Viele M-5 radial, customer. Henshaw won the Siddeley Trophy were entered into the Lympne Trials, and Nick being damaged and withdrawn from use at at the 1933 King’s Cup race at an average Comper was the principal designer. Edmonton in 1934. Today it resides, rebuilt, in speed of 127.78mph over an 830.8 mile the Alberta Aviation Museum as the sole, pre- course. THE CRANWELL CLA AIRCRAFT Swift Comper design to have survived. In 1931, a somewhat more adventurous The first aircraft to be completed and flown was record had been set when Cecil Butler flew a the Cranwell CLA.2, G-EBAC, a wood and fabric COMPER AIRCRAFT COMPANY Swift from England to Darwin, Australia in nine two-seat sesquiplane (a biplane with one wing In late 1926, Comper was posted to Felixstowe days, one and three-quarter hours. Another significantly smaller than the other), powered by to work on flying boats and seaplanes until, long distance flight of note was made by C a flat-twin 32hp Bristol Cherub. It took to the air wanting to move into civil aircraft design and Byas who flew England to Cape Town in 10 on 14 September 1924, just two weeks before manufacture, he resigned his commission and days. Swifts competed in every King’s Cup air the start of the Lympne Trials, with Comper established the Comper Aircraft Company Ltd race between 1930 and 1937, and acquitted at the controls. Nevertheless it competed at Hooton Park Aerodrome, Cheshire in April themselves very well. In the 1932 race, Flight successfully in the reliability category and won a 1929. His first commercial venture, the CLA.7 Lieutenant EH Fielding achieved second place £300 prize. Unfortunately it was then written off Swift, first flew at Hooton Park in January 1930, in G-ABWW, a Gipsy-engined Swift owned by by an Air Ministry pilot, although the club were the prototype G-AARX being powered by a Edward, Prince of Wales, later to become King compensated for the loss. 35hp ABC Scorpion flat twin. While he waited Edward VIII. The Swift leaves the ground in a tail-down attitude as prop clearance is minimal (Photo Nigel Hitchman) The start of it all – the Rally Fleamarket Pobjoy The cosy 'wraparound' cockpit with period style instruments. engine that Philip bought and overhauled. You can almost imagine yourself heading off for far away lands. (Photo Damien Dyer) (Photo Damien Dyer) 32 LIGHT AVIATION | DECEMBER 2015 CAPTIVATING COMPER POST SWIFT debt after a number of failed ventures until, by cheap to run and classic aircraft that could be Over the three years following the Swift going 1939, he was in dire straits. He died of a brain stored, wings folded, in my uncle’s barn. into production, Comper penned and built haemorrhage after being pushed over in the Time passed of course, no Comper three new designs. The first was another street and hitting his head on a curb, reputedly appeared, but about 10 years ago, Phil Cozens single-seater, the low-wing, Gipsy Major- for saying to a passerby that he was an IRA asked me if I might like to test fly his Comper powered Streak, two examples of which were man who was going to blow up the town hall.